1 Edmonds

Cory Edmonds

Christian thought and practice

3/2/2019

Dr. Dale Pederson

Guided Reflection Presentation

For my guided reflection presentation...i decided to go into the area of the dots and the

lines.

This was a concept that, prior to taking this class, i had no understanding of and had never heard

of it. Before learning about the theological concept of “the Dots and the Lines” i generally had

trouble with my inward feeling of seeing the truth, and then seeing people who were so close, but

seemed to keep missing the mark. It was a feeling that the church could never be unified because

of the petty arguments and squabbles between denominations, but my spirit believed otherwise. I

knew, deep down, that there had to be a better way, a way to get back to the concepts laid out by

the first church. A way to bridge the gap between the various fields of theological thought. And

the dots and the lines helped do this for me, helping with the turbulences i was feeling inside.

The way the concept works is like this…

We have our dots. The dots are those things that are absolute in scripture, “regardless of

version” that are laid out and well understood. These things the body of Christ could put there

lives down on, knowing that they are truth. On the other hand..we have our lines. How the lines

works is that, when people utilize things like human reason “which is inherently flawed in

everyone” and try and find answers to things not clearly stated in scripture but, having enough
 2 Edmonds

evidence within the dots to make rational conclusions about it “ and knowing God's character

and heart behind the other scriptures and Dots”, we come to believe something based on this.

The thing i learned from this class was, to not worry so much about arguments regarding those

lines. By the inherent nature of how the lines are created, and the absolute variety of

interpretation that brings “no two people are the same” no one knows which lines may be right,

and which will be wrong. The only way any of us will learn which is which is in heaven, where

god will explain to each of us the areas where we were right and wrong. Knowing this, it's much

easier to be accepting and understanding with those whose lines differ from my or my church's

own, as there not worth arguing over. Istead, the whole body of christ needs to find a way to take

this concept to heart and work together to do God's work, and get rid of anything that is a clear

false prophet and taking away from the legitimacy and heart of the church. We need to get to a

place where the criteria of being saved is by God's grace and jesus sacrifice, and if a church

holds the whole scripture to heart, teaches it as it is meant to be, and lives a life that reflects god,

they need to be our brothers and sisters. And because of the dots and the lines, i can take this

understanding with me in all my future dealings with other denominations i don't agree with.

Working towards Gods will...not our own.